I watched the following YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh5n3IqocPQ
“Your Android Freedom Is at Risk: 5-Minute Action Plan” by Techlore.

The video discusses the future where Google will require app developers to register with Google, pay a fee, and submit government identification in order to be allowed to develop apps for Android that can be installed (“sideloaded”) outside of the Google Play Store. In my opinion, this hurts the openness that Android has allowed for years, and this new restriction may lead to censorship on Google's part. For example, if a repressive government wants to ban a virtual private network (VPN) app, Google might be forced to comply and block the VPN app from being able to be installed outside of the Play Store. The YouTube video explains an example of censorship that already occurred where Google and Apple removed the “Voting app” under pressure from Russia (I am assuming they removed the app from their app stores). The YouTube video references a website, keepandroidopen.org, which has links where you can contact national regulators to complain about this. You can also sign the change.org petition at https://www.change.org/p/stop-google-from-limiting-apk-file-usage. I also went ahead and submitted a complaint to Google at the Android Developer Verification Requirements survey that is linked to keepandroidopen.org, even though I am not a developer.

On my Windows 11 laptop, I can install any software I want from the Internet outside of the Microsoft Store. I think it should be the same with my Android phone, being able to install any app outside of the Play Store, but Google is planning to change this to become more like Apple devices, so that Google is the gatekeeper of which apps I am allowed to install. My concern about repressive governments is that Christian apps could be blocked from being installed with this change Google is making. I am also concerned about accountability apps. According to the “Wired” news article, “The Ungodly Surveillance of Anti-Porn 'Shameware' Apps” (https://www.wired.com/story/covenant-eyes-anti-porn-accountability-monitoring-apps/), at one point in time Google banned certain competitor accountability apps from the Play Store. For a while, one competitor screenshot accountability app allowed users to install their app outside of the Play Store during Google's ban on their app within the Play Store. With Google's new developer verification policy, if Google ever wanted to ban accountability apps again, they would have the power not only to ban these apps from the Play Store, but they would also be able to ban the apps from being installed outside of the Play Store too. I am very dependent on the Truple app that is installed directly outside of the Play Store, because its “block tamper” feature is essential to have so that I can't disable or uninstall the software. Because I think Big Tech views screenshot accountability as something unusual, where they might see it as spyware, I wonder if they might try to ban it in the future. Truple Support explained to me that they don't currently see any problem with the developer verification process. However because of the unusual nature of accountability software, I feel there could be uncertainty about whether Google might take action against such software in the future.

Google is describing this new policy as an effort to prevent malware from being installed outside of the Play Store. However, because this change can lead to censorship and hurt freedom, I am encouraging people to visit keepandroidopen.org and contact regulators.